Boeing will handle final assembly of 787-10 in SC

NEW YORK (AP) — Boeing says final assembly of its 787-10 plane, a planned larger version of its "Dreamliner" aircraft, will take place in South Carolina.

The company says the work will be done in North Charleston, South Carolina, because the plane is too large to efficiently transport it from North Charleston to a facility in Washington state. The 787-10 is still being designed and Boeing expects to start final assembly of the first planes in 2017.

The 787-10 will be 18 feet longer than 787-9 aircraft, which in turn is 20 feet longer than the original 787-8. The smaller planes are assembled in both North Charleston and in Everett, Washington.

Boeing Co. has about 7,500 employees in South Carolina, but says the decision won't have much effect on its employment the state.